Cheng Zhou remained silent, as if he had suddenly been rendered speechless.
Lu Zheng's face was so gloomy it could drip water.
He slowly turned around, his eyes, weathered by time, first glaring fiercely at the pale-faced Lu You before turning to Cheng Zhou.
"Young Master Cheng."
Lu Zheng's voice was devoid of emotion, yet it carried an immense weight of pressure.
"You have some tricks up your sleeve, and some guts. For the sake of my daughter, you didn't hesitate to ruin my Yu family's marriage and embarrass me, Lu Zheng, in public."
He strode forward and stood in front of Cheng Zhou. Although he was old, the pressure from his long-held position was still overwhelming.
"But I'm curious, does your family know about your heroic act today? Does that old fox Cheng Jianming agree to you going to such lengths for my adopted daughter, even at the risk of potentially antagonizing the Li family?"
This is an extremely pointed question that gets straight to the heart of the matter.
Just like Cheng Zhou's silence earlier, he was certain that the Cheng family was unaware that Cheng Zhou's return was for this reason.
Cheng Zhou's relationship with his family is common knowledge. Today, he has come to steal the bride as the heir of the Cheng family. If he cannot get the support of his family, then he is just acting recklessly out of youthful impulsiveness.
It's pointless and could even have disastrous consequences.
Cheng Zhou's jawline tightened for a moment.
Of course, Cheng Jianming, the father, had no idea. He even made sarcastic remarks when he learned that Cheng Jianming was closing the restaurant and preparing to return to the family.
His father believed that he had ultimately succumbed to reality and had no idea of his true purpose in returning.
As for agreeing to his relationship with Lu You? That's pure fantasy.
But at this moment, under Lu Zheng's piercing gaze and in front of Lu You, he absolutely could not show any weakness.
Cheng Zhou straightened his back, met Lu Zheng's gaze, and said with a forced calmness in his tone: "This is my own decision, and I don't need his consent. The fact that I can stand here and say those words just now means that I have my own bargaining chips and plans. What I want is Lu You. As for the Cheng family... I will handle it."
"Hmph, well said, 'handled it well'!"
Lu Zheng scoffed, clearly not believing his empty words. "Young man, don't be so arrogant. Without the Cheng family backing you, every word you say today carries no weight. What makes you think I would entrust my daughter to a brat who can't even get family support and only knows how to cause trouble?"
Faced with her father's barrage of questions and seeing Cheng Zhou's stubborn resistance, Lu You felt so suffocated that she could hardly breathe.
She looked at Cheng Zhou.
For her sake, this man put away all his glamour, donned a restrictive suit, and stormed into the world of fame and fortune he loathed most.
He tried to take her away in the most awkward and frantic way possible.
Even though there was no one behind him, he still put on a show for her and endured all the pressure.
She reflected on her life over the past twenty years.
As an adopted daughter, she lived cautiously and diligently, never disobeying her father and always putting the family's interests and her father's demands first.
She was like a canary kept in an exquisite cage, long since accustomed to obedience, and had even forgotten the instinct to struggle.
But at this moment, seeing Cheng Zhou's desperate and all-or-nothing attitude towards her, something deep within her that had been suppressed for a long time seemed to be suddenly awakened.
Why should her life always be arranged by others?
Why should her happiness be used as a bargaining chip for personal gain?
Why... can't she live for herself even once?
Lu You suddenly felt a surge of impulse and courage. Or perhaps, what she had never lacked was courage, which was always in her heart.
Over the years, she had never imagined that she could live another way.
Lu You took a deep breath, then suddenly stepped forward and stood in front of Cheng Zhou.
She faced Lu Zheng directly, a move that stunned both Lu Zheng and Cheng Zhou.
"dad."
Lu You's voice trembled slightly, but her eyes were unusually firm.
"Could you please step outside for a moment? I'd like to speak with Cheng Zhou alone."
Lu Zheng could hardly believe his ears.
His daughter, who always obeyed his every command, actually let him go out at this crucial moment?
Anger flashed in his eyes instantly: "Lu You! Do you know who you're talking to?"
“I know.” Lu You met his gaze without flinching and repeated, “Please step out for a moment. There are some things I need to discuss with him alone.”
The unprecedented stubbornness and composure in her eyes momentarily stunned Lu Zheng.
He stared intently at Lu You, then glanced at Cheng Zhou behind her with a complex expression, finally let out a cold snort, turned around, and strode out of the living room.
Lu Zheng left the two of them alone.
He figured they couldn't possibly cause any trouble.
Once again, only Lu You and Cheng Zhou remained in the living room.
Cheng Zhou looked at the slender back that was blocking his way, and his heart trembled slightly. An indescribable feeling welled up inside him.
He instinctively reached out to pull her: "Sister You..."
Lu You avoided his hand, turned around, gave him a complicated look, and said in an unusually calm tone, "Come with me."
After saying that, she stopped looking at him and went straight to her study on the second floor.
Cheng Zhou felt uneasy and could only hurry to catch up.
Upon entering the study, Lu You closed the door behind her.
Looking at her indifferent profile, Cheng Zhou felt an even stronger unease in his heart.
He thought she was going to scold him for his recklessness, or reject him again.
He spoke in a hoarse voice, a slight tremor in it: "Sister You, do you still think I was too impulsive and ruined your plans? Are you still going to stay? Even without the Li family, there will be some Zhang family or Wang family..."
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